lessons: what are you working on?

spot while you are watching tv, you will get use to locking your eye on the target. Even if you aren't a very good turner, if you have a strong spot, ppl will think you are a better turner than you are.

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You mean I have to buy a TV to learn to spot? I think the equivalent in lessons will probably be cheaper....

Turn the ligths down (or off, if you prefer), and put a lit candle up at head height. Practice spotting this way (will be very easy as the light will be only real thing you can concentrate on), should do wonders.

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Ah Now thats more in my price range. Shoulda done it tonight - we had strong winds in Toronto and a major power cut - off for over 2 hours AND I had lots of candles. Next time...

two lessons, all rumba... improved considerably in the hip coordination & pushing off the back foot & connecting the back leg to the torso as it moves forward... but feel like i've scratched an iceberg with a razor blade. finished bronze comp routine. feels like i've got an elephant to eat...

really looking forward to getting my new latin practice shoes. am noticing that the shoes i have right now (freed) don't hug my feet. can really tell they don't give my feet the right support. way too loose in the heels... my heels feel "squidgy" when i'm trying to move with control. i bet things'll feel so much better when i get the new ones...

Smooth lesson last night (yays), with work on loosening up more and just letting things happen rather than tensing up all the time. Also--next week, Standard.

Tonight, group Swing and Rhumba. Had a chance to lead again, which was fun (and prompted a kind of strange comment from the pro teaching, who is the one refered to elsewhere as my Old Pro: when I said "I'm getting used to being the lead!" he said "You're a dancer, you should get used to it." I don't know if he meant ice or floor, but either way, for him dancing is Serious Business and he's never said anything quite that...inclusive...before. As in, you're a dancer, not a hobbyist dinking around with it. I guess showing up for two to four classes a week for months must have made some kind of impression.) Leading was entertaining again, though the Miami Special is harder than whatever it was we were working on last week (back spot turns?) and I'm glad that once he started "jazzing up" the choreography with...pas de bouree, we'll call it, though I know the step has another name I got to go back to being a girl. Rhumba routine--we got almost all the way through. Now I just need to figure out why my right quad is cramping something awful, all day long.

Well last nigth was Rhythm and nothing but Rumba. Competition routine trying to get the timming nail boy it was hard specially with several timing changes my head was sping at the end of the lesson. :shock:

last night (9pm lesson - have to go home and sleep first!) worked (in foxtrot) on head motions as a reaction to body sway - head sort of follows opposite hip which follows DP. Also more on bounce fallaway - trying to get it, it seems, as little bouncy as possible! A fun step but not a 'wow, I'm gonna pass out in euphoria' one.

More bolero. Trying to keep my weight where it's supposed to be (which is hard, it's a lot of weight!) Thankfully one of the things we worked on today just finally clicked in the kitchen a minute ago. If only the rest of it would click. And trying to look like I actually sort of like my partner, which isn't easy considering we're married, and sometimes I wonder if I do. And then the fact that I just have to get over feeling like I look stupid because the feeling like I look stupid makes me look more stupid than I actually look.

I have to learn how to do a double turn. I finished beg I & beg II. Now the intermediate class, which has no beginning, since the people who take the class have been in it since forever. Right away I have to do all these moves w/o instruction. Makes it seem difficult. So, I need to figure out how to practice a double turn; I cant even complete a turn on my own (w/o lead) when practicing myself. Will be heading back to take this class a few additional times per week.

Group lessons again, and again, *sigh* of happiness. Work wasn't as bad today so I didn't need the pick-me-up so desperately, but while I'm still no Latin dancer there were moments there where Samba was starting to feel like Samba.

Last night lesson was the Rumba again, try to do spiral turns and boy I had such a hard time I could not keep my balance at all.

Coach - Stay on the ball of your feet
Me - I will transfer from the ball of my feet to my heels.
Coach - Is not an "impetus" Mr. no more smooth for you. Stick your butt out a little
Me - I look like I need to go to the bathroom if i do that.
Coach and DW - Can't stop laughing.

Ladies my hat of to you specially when you make that look so easy. :notworth:

mostly just focused on strong legs, being over my body, and being sharply & strongly up on my toes to get that bounce in samba. pro cleverly put together a nice little samba routine for DP and me... then told us he expects us to dance in his first showcase in march, lol...

Last night lesson was the Rumba again, try to do spiral turns and boy I had such a hard time I could not keep my balance at all.

Coach - Stay on the ball of your feet
Me - I will transfer from the ball of my feet to my heels.
Coach - Is not an "impetus" Mr. no more smooth for you. Stick your butt out a little
Me - I look like I need to go to the bathroom if i do that.
Coach and DW - Can't stop laughing.

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I find it helps to make sure that I continue rotating my supporting foot until it's only slightly turned out from the direction that I want to end at (natural tendency for me is to underrotate and be spectacularly turned out but off balance).